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Killing Of
Innocent People
In Balochistan
An Appeal from
Asian Human Rights Commission
25 July, 2006
Countercurrents.org
Urgent help is needed for 200,000 displaced victims of military
operations in Balochistan province
Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights
Commission (AHRC) has received information through international and
national media as well a through local social and political groups of
Pakistan that the Pakistan Army is conducting military operations in
Balochistan, the southern province of Pakistan. Though this has been
ongoing since 2001, since December 2005 the military government of
Pakistan has been conducting aerial bombings in several parts of the
province. During this period the army has conducted about 12
bombardments and have killed more than 300 people. The areas that are
continuously under fire are Sibi, Hernai, Much, Kohlo, Dera Bugti,
Sabsilla, Bhambhoor, Loti, Dhaman, Pir Koh, Spin, Tangi, Babar Kach,
Tandori and Sangan. The BBC and other newspapers have quoted the local
people and elected representatives of the provincial assembly and Senate
as saying that about four F16 fighter jets, gunships and helicopters
have been used in the bombardments on the civilian population. In fact
the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force actually admitted to
the aerial bombardment in Balochistan.
Due to the military
operations and aerial bombardments the local population have been forced
to migrate to safer parts of Balochistan as well as to the nearby
borders of Sindh and Punjab provinces. The military have cordoned off
Hernai area for the past several days making it impossible for people to
come and go. As a result the people are without food, medicines and
drinking water. The area where people have taken leave from are
predominantly Mach, Kohlo, Usta Mohamad, Sibi, Dera Bugti and some parts
of Hanai. The two district provinces of Sibi and Bolan are the worst
affected areas of military operations as well as the aerial bombardment.
These two districts cover more than 500 kilometres. The displaced are
now settled in other areas such as Dera Murad, Jamali, Quetta, Khuzdar,
Hub in Balochistan and Kashmore, Jackob Abad and the border areas of
Larkana district in Sindh Province. In Pubjab Province they have taken
shelter in Dera Ghazi Khan district near Usta Mohammad village of
Balochistan. According to newspaper reports the displaced are living in
terrible conditions with no safe drinking water. According to a report
published in the daily Dawn "It is unclear how many Bugti displaced
people (DPs) actually poured into neighbouring cities and towns
following the outbreak of hostilities between the warring tribesmen and
the law-enforcement agencies in the early summer of last year. The Dera
Bugti Nazim, Kazim Bugti, puts the number of DPs at over a hundred
thousand. His assertions about the involvement of army helicopters in
Dera Bugti military operations lend credence to the claims of the DPs.
The accusation is stoutly denied by the government, however". The
displaced have to carry water from at least one to three kilometers away.
No medical help is being provided to them. The are mostly children and
women suffering from diarrhea, dehydration, malaria and high fevers.
Some cases of deaths have been reported but not confirmed by any
hospitals.
The local people in these
areas where displaced persons are settled, are not allowed by the
intelligence agencies of Pakistan Army to help refugees. Edhi center, a
local charitable organisation, has been stopped by the Pakistan Military
from providing medical assistance to the affected people and from making
medical camps in refugee settled areas. The main persons from Edhi
center were summoned to Pakistan's capital, Islam Abad by the Military
intelligence and were ordered to stop medical assistance to the victims.
According to the daily Dawn the displaced are lying in the open skies in
summer where temperature remains at 38 to 44 degrees centigrade. The
conditions of the displaced are deteriorating day by day and urgent help
is needed through from international organisations working for the
rehabilitation of refugees and displaced persons.
Additional
information:
Balochistan is the most
under developed province of Pakistan. Balochistan has in fact very rich
mineral resources. However, all the resources in the province are
controlled by the federal government and no royalty or compensation has
been paid to people in Balochistan. Also, the country's most populous
province, Punjab, is controlling the military, the administration and
utilitieses of all the resources. In addition, the government has
provided little resources towards social welfare in comparison with
other provinces. People in Balochistan blame the federal government for
their plight and point out that the benefits derived from the province's
natural wealth have not been returned to it.
This province is the
richest in natural resources, including gold, silver, copper, oil,
natural gas, iron ore and uranium. It supplies natural gas to the whole
of the country yet three quarters of the province does not have the
access to natural gas. Sui is the area from where natural gas is being
supplied but the military of Pakistan wants to keep its control, as a
result of which Sui is the worst affected area of military operations.
The Government of Pakistan pays a meager 5% of the total income from
natural resources as royalty to Balochistan.
Baloch people also suffer
from great poverty. According to the Karachi-based Social Policy and
Development Centre (SPDC), poverty levels in Balochistan are the highest
in the country. Every second person in Balochistan lives below the
poverty line. Only 50 percent of the province's seven million people
have access to clean drinking water, only half the children attend
primary schools and only a third of children between 12 and 23 months
are immunised, according to the SPDC.
This is the 5th time since
the creation of the country that the Pakistan Army has conducted
military operations and aerial bombardments resulting in the deaths of
more than 12,000 people. Several people were hanged and thousands of
people migrated to other parts of the country. Since the military
operation from 2001 about one thousand people have been killed and
according to the statement of Mr. Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Federal
Minister for Interior Affairs more than 4000 people have been arrested
from Balochistan since the beginning of 2005. Despite this, until now
only 200 people have been produced before any court and the Ministry of
Interior has failed to produce the names of those arrested. The Balochi
resistance groups and political parties are claiming that more than 1000
people have disappeared since their arrest. The intelligence agencies
such as the I.S.I, Military intelligence (M.I.), along with the
Intelligence Bureau (I.B), the Navy Intelligence, the Pak Rangers
Intelligence, and the Central intelligence Agency of Pakistan (CIAP) are
operating very actively. The Police department is also not allowed to go
in the torture camps of these with out the permission from military
authorities.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters of
concern to the authorities listed below voicing your condemnation at the
actions of the government in Pakistan.
Suggested letter:
Dear ____________,
PAKISTAN: Urgent help is
needed for 200,000 displaced victims of military operations in
Balochistan province
I write with grave concern
for the security and welfare of the people of Balochistan province. I
have recently learned that since December 2005 the military government
of Pakistan has been conducting aerial bombings in several parts of the
province. During this period the army has conducted about 12
bombardments and have killed more than 300 people. The areas that are
continuously under fire are Sibi, Hernai, Much, Kohlo, Dera Bugti,
Sabsilla, Bhambhoor, Loti, Dhaman, Pir Koh, Spin, Tangi, Babar Kach,
Tandori and Sangan. Local people and elected representatives of the
provincial assembly and Senate have been quoted in the national and
international media as saying that about four F16 fighter jets, gunships
and helicopters have been used in the bombardments on the civilian
population. In fact the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force
actually admitted to the aerial bombardment in Balochistan.
Due to the military
operations and aerial bombardments the local population has been forced
to migrate to safer parts of Balochistan as well as to the nearby
borders of Sindh and Punjab provinces. The military have cordoned off
Hernai area for the past several days making it impossible for people to
come and go. As a result the people are without food, medicines and
drinking water. The area where people have taken leave from are
predominantly Mach, Kohlo, Usta Mohamad, Sibi, Dera Bugti and some parts
of Hanai. The two district provinces of Sibi and Bolan are the worst
affected areas of military operations as well as the aerial bombardment.
These two districts cover more than 500 kilometres. The displaced are
now settled in other areas such as Dera Murad, Jamali, Quetta, Khuzdar,
Hub in Balochistan and Kashmore, Jackob Abad and the border areas of
Larkana district in Sindh Province. In Pubjab Province they have taken
shelter in Dera Ghazi Khan district near Usta Mohammad village of
Balochistan. According to newspaper reports the displaced are living in
terrible conditions with no safe drinking water. According to a report
published in the daily Dawn "It is unclear how many Bugti displaced
people (DPs) actually poured into neighbouring cities and towns
following the outbreak of hostilities between the warring tribesmen and
the law-enforcement agencies in the early summer of last year. The Dera
Bugti Nazim, Kazim Bugti, puts the number of DPs at over a hundred
thousand. His assertions about the involvement of army helicopters in
Dera Bugti military operations lend credence to the claims of the DPs.
The accusation is stoutly denied by the government, however". The
displaced have to carry water from at least one to three kilometers away.
No medical help is being provided to them. The are mostly children and
women suffering from diarrhea, dehydration, malaria and high fevers.
Some cases of deaths have been reported but not confirmed by any
hospitals.
The local people in these
areas where displaced persons are settled are not allowed by the
intelligence agencies of Pakistan Army to help refugees. Edhi center, a
local charitable organisation, has been stopped by the Pakistan Military
from providing medical assistance to the affected people and from making
medical camps in refugee settled areas. The main persons from Edhi
center were summoned to Pakistan's capital, Islam Abad by the Military
intelligence and were ordered to stop medical assistance to the victims.
According to the daily Dawn the displaced are lying in the open skies in
summer where temperature remains at 38 to 44 degrees centigrade. The
conditions of the displaced are deteriorating day by day and urgent help
is needed from international organisations working for the
rehabilitation of refugees and displaced persons.
I am appalled that a
government could treat its people in such a dreadful manner. As human
beings these people have rights that the government must ensure and
respect. Evidently this is not happening in Pakistan, in particular in
the Balochistan province, and this is unacceptable. I call on the
relevant authorities in Pakistan as well as the international community
to see
to it that the aerial bombardments in Balochistan are ceased and that
people can return to their homes without fear for their security. I
further request the ceasing of all ongoing military operations in
Balochistan and urge that genuine steps be taken to consult with people
in the province to restore peace, and ensure the social welfare of the
Baloch people, who suffer from great poverty.
Yours sincerely,
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. General Pervez Musharraf
President
President's Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1422, 4768/ 920 1893 or 1835
Email: (please see -
http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/
WTPresidentMessage.aspx)
2. Mr. Muhammad Wasi Zafar
Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights,
S Block,
Pakistan Secretariat,
Islamabad,
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 920 2628
E-Mail:minister@molaw.gov.pk
3. Mr. Awais Ghani
Governor of Balochistan
Governor House,
Quetta,
Balochistan,
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 81 920 2178/ 2992
4. Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao
Minister of the Interior
#404, 4/F., R Block,
Pak Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 51 9212026
Fax: +92 51 9202624
5. Mrs Rifat Iqbal
Ambassador of Pakistan,
Embassy of Pakistan,
Ailesbury Villa,
1B Ailesbury Road,
Ballsbridge,
Dublin 4
U.S.A
Tel: +1 261 3032 / 01 261 3033
Fax: +1 261 3007
6. Ms Gay Mcdougall
Independent Expert on Minority Issues
c/o Global Rights
1200 18th Street, N.W.
Suite 602
Washington, D.C. 20036
Phone: +1 202 822 4600
Fax: +1 202 822 4606
7. Ms. Louise Arbour
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Fax: +41 22 917 9012/0213
8. Mr. Walter Kälin
Special Representative of the Secretary General the
human rights of internally displaced persons
Attn: Ms. Karen Gulick
OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE
IDPs)
9. Mr. Arjun Sengupta
Independent Expert on the question of human rights and
extreme poverty
C/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: INDEPENDENT EXPERT ON THE
QUESTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND EXTREME POVERTY)
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)
Tapan Kumar Bose
Email:
tbose@safhr.com,
buboo_1946@yahoo.co,
bose.tapan@gmail.com
South Asia Forum for Human Rights
3/23 Shree Darbar Tole, Patan Dhoka,
(Near Lalitpur Zila Hulak Office)
Lalitpur, NEPAL
Tel: +977-1-5541026, Fax: +977-1-5527852
Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/pk-ahrc250706.htm
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